When is the best time to post on Instagram? According to our analysis of 455,062 Instagram posts, Wednesday at 9 PM is the best time to post overall.
But there’s a lot more hiding in the data. Instagram engagement rises around lunch, drops sharply in the early morning, and climbs again late at night. Some individual hours perform much better than the daily average, too.
To find these patterns, we normalized engagement for every Instagram account in our dataset. This stops a handful of huge accounts or viral posts from skewing the results. So, when you see a score of 1.20, it means posts published at that time earned 20% more engagement than that account’s typical post.
And one quick note before we get into the data: all times are in the local time zone. So if we say 8 AM is the best time to post, that means 8 AM in your local time.
Key takeaways
- The best time to post on Instagram is 9 PM, based on our analysis of 455,062 Instagram posts published through SocialBee.
- Saturday is the best day to post on Instagram overall, followed by Wednesday and Sunday. However, the difference between days is much smaller than the difference between individual posting times.
- 12 to 2 PM is the most reliable posting window. Engagement stays above average during lunchtime every day of the week, making it a good starting point if you need a consistent Instagram posting schedule.
- 9 to 11 PM is the strongest time block overall, with particularly strong results on Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday at 9 PM, for example, performs about 24% above average.
- Instagram users should avoid posting between 4 and 8 AM when possible. This is the only time block that performs below average every day, and Friday at 6 AM is the worst individual time in our analysis at 23% below average.
- Use these Instagram optimal posting times as benchmarks, not fixed rules. Start with the strongest windows from our 455,062-post analysis, then compare them with your own account performance to find the schedule that works best for your audience.
What is the best day to post on Instagram?
Saturday is the best day to post on Instagram, with the highest overall engagement in our analysis of 455,062 posts. Wednesday comes in second, followed closely by Sunday.
But there’s a catch: the differences between days are surprisingly small.
Saturday may take the top spot, but only a few percentage points separate it from Friday, the weakest day overall. Compare that with individual posting times, where engagement can swing much more dramatically from one hour to the next.
Here’s how every day ranks from peak engagement to lowest engagement:
- Saturday
- Wednesday
- Sunday
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Monday
- Friday
So, I wouldn’t rearrange your entire Instagram content calendar just to publish on Saturday. The time you post matters much more than the day you choose. Find the days that work for your content schedule, then focus on publishing during the strongest hours.
What is the best time to post on Instagram?
9 PM is the best time to post on Instagram overall, and Wednesday at 9 PM is the strongest combination of day and time, with engagement roughly 18% above average.
Across the week, two posting windows stand out.
The first is lunchtime, from 12 to 2 PM. Engagement stays above average during this window every day of the week. Friday early afternoon at 2 PM performs particularly well, coming in around 20% above average.
The second is late evening, from 9 to 11 PM. This is the strongest time block overall, with particularly good results on Wednesday and Sunday.
Find your best time to post on Instagram with SocialBee
Our analysis of 455,062 posts gives you a good place to start, but your own Instagram data should decide what happens next.
With SocialBee, you can schedule Instagram content and get recommended posting times based on your past performance. Start by testing the 12 to 2 PM and 9 to 11 PM windows from our study, then compare your results and adjust your schedule around the times that work best for your account.
You can also use SocialBee to:
- Create and schedule Instagram content: Plan feed posts, Instagram Reels, carousels, and Instagram Stories ahead of time and have them publish at the times you choose.
- See your best times to post: Get posting-time suggestions based on how your previous content has performed, rather than relying only on general Instagram benchmarks.
- Create captions and visuals with AI: Write your own posts or use AI to generate captions and images. You can also bring in visuals from Canva, Unsplash, and GIPHY without leaving SocialBee.
- Prepare posts for Instagram: Generate hashtags, save hashtag collections for later, edit your images, add locations and account tags, and schedule your first comment.
- Set up Instagram Collab posts: Invite up to five collaborators to supported feed posts, carousels, and Reels before they’re published.
- Prepare your Reels: Upload your video, choose a custom thumbnail, write the caption, and schedule the Reel to go live later.
- Organize your content: Sort posts into Content Categories, such as educational posts, promotions, or Reels, and give each category its own posting schedule.
- Plan your Instagram feed: Use the Instagram Grid view to see how approved feed posts, carousels, and Reels will look together before they’re published.
- Track and report on performance: Check your account and post analytics, review your publishing history, and export PDF reports to share Instagram insights with clients, managers, or your team.
- Manage your Instagram conversations: Keep track of supported comments, mentions, and DMs and respond from SocialBee instead of checking Instagram separately.
- Work with your team: Save unfinished posts as drafts, leave internal feedback, and approve content before it goes live.
Start your 14-day SocialBee trial to schedule your Instagram content and find the best posting times for your target audience.
Best times to post on Instagram for each day of the week
The best time to post on Instagram changes depending on the day, but two windows show up repeatedly in our analysis: lunchtime and late evening.
Based on the 455,062 Instagram posts we analyzed, these are the best times to post each day:
- Monday: 11 PM to midnight
- Tuesday: 10 AM
- Wednesday: 9 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM
- Friday: 2 PM
- Saturday: midnight to 1 AM
- Sunday: 9 PM
Use this list as a quick starting point for your schedule. Below, we’ll break down each day so you can see how much engagement changes and which alternative times are worth testing.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Monday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Monday is between 11 PM and midnight, with engagement running about 35% above average during this late-night window.
The time to avoid is mid-afternoon. Engagement drops between 3 and 5 PM, making this Monday’s weakest posting window.
If posting close to midnight sounds inconvenient, schedule your content in advance. With SocialBee, you can set your Instagram posts to publish automatically at a specific time, so you don’t need to be awake and ready to hit “Share” at 11 PM.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday is 10 AM, when engagement is about 13% above average.
More broadly, 9 to 11 AM is Tuesday’s strongest posting window, so you have some flexibility if you can’t publish at exactly 10 AM.
At the other end of the scale, 8 AM is one of Tuesday’s weakest times to post. If you usually publish first thing in the morning, waiting an hour or two could put your content in a much stronger window.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday is 9 PM, with 9 AM coming in a close second. Both times deliver engagement around 18% above average.
That gives you two strong options at opposite ends of the day. You can catch people during their morning Instagram check or wait until they’re scrolling later in the evening.
If you prefer to post at night, you have some room to play with the timing. The entire 9 to 11 PM window performs well, with engagement about 8% above average.
With strong results in both the morning and evening, Wednesday gives you more flexibility than most days of the week.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Thursday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday is 9 AM, with midnight offering another strong option. Both times deliver engagement about 15% above average.
So, you have a choice depending on when your specific audience tends to be online. You can reach people in the morning at 9 AM or schedule a post for midnight to catch the late-night crowd.
What you’ll want to avoid is the early morning. Thursday at 4 AM and 7 AM are among the five worst-performing time slots in our entire dataset. Not a huge surprise, considering the time.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Friday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Friday is 2 PM, when engagement is about 20% above average.
Friday is an interesting one because timing makes a big difference. While 2 PM is one of the peak posting times of the week, Friday is the weakest day overall once you move outside the lunch breaks.
If you’re planning to post on Friday, the 2 PM slot is the one to aim for. Engagement drops outside the lunch window, and 6 AM is the single worst-performing time in our entire dataset, with engagement 23% below average.
So, don’t write Friday off completely. Just be more selective about when you post.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Saturday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday is between midnight and 1 AM, when engagement is about 38% above average.
Saturday is also worth paying attention to beyond these individual time slots. In our analysis, it narrowly beats every other day for overall engagement, making it the best day of the week to post on Instagram.
So, if Saturday is already part of your content calendar, you have two good options: schedule your post for around midnight or aim for 2 PM instead.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Sunday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday is 9 PM, when engagement is about 24% above average.
You don’t have to hit 9 PM exactly, either. The entire 9 to 11 PM window performs well, with engagement averaging about 12% above normal. In fact, Sunday has the strongest evening window of any day in our analysis.
Sunday morning tells a different story. 8 AM is one of the weakest time slots of the week, so it’s worth holding your post until later in the day if your schedule allows.
If you have an important weekend post planned, Sunday evening gives it a much better shot than Sunday morning.
What are the worst days and times to post according to our Instagram insights?
The worst time to post on Instagram is between 4 and 8 AM. It’s the only time block that performs below average every day of the week, with engagement about 5% below average overall.
And some individual early-morning hours perform much worse:
- Friday at 6 AM: 23% below average, making it the worst time slot in our entire dataset
- Thursday at 7 AM: 21% below average
- Monday at 5 AM and Thursday at 4 AM: around 19-20% below average
- Tuesday and Sunday at 8 AM: also among the weakest times of the week
As for the worst day, Friday ranks last overall. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid posting on Friday altogether. Friday at 2 PM performs about 20% above average, so choosing the right hour can make a much bigger difference than choosing the right day.
That’s one of the clearest findings from our analysis: the time you post matters much more than the day you post. Only a few percentage points separate the best and worst days, while individual hours can range from well above to well below an account’s typical engagement.
If you’re deciding what to avoid, start with the 4 to 8 AM window, especially Friday at 6 AM. If those hours already work well for your account, though, trust your own Instagram analytics over the averages from our study.
Schedule your Instagram content at the right time with SocialBee
Knowing when to post is only useful if you can consistently publish at those times to generate engagement. And when some of the strongest slots are 9 PM, 11 PM, or even midnight, posting manually isn’t particularly practical.
Instead, build the strongest times from our analysis into your Instagram strategy. Start with the reliable 12 to 2 PM window, test late-evening posts between 9 and 11 PM, and adjust your schedule as you learn what works for your audience.
With SocialBee, you can schedule Instagram posts, carousels, Reels, and Stories in advance, so your content goes out at the time you choose without you having to be online. You can then check your analytics and recommended posting times to see whether a different schedule could work better for your account.
Start your 14-day SocialBee trial and schedule your Instagram content for the times your audience is most likely to engage.
